To mark sixty years since Lord of the Flies was first published, we look at the files for the two film adaptations of this famous book.
Lord of the Flies, by Nobel Prize-winning English author William Golding, was first published 60 years ago, in September 1954. But the first film adaptation of the book did not arrive at the BBFC until 1964.
Lord of the Flies (1963), directed by Peter Brook, was classified X (suitable only for those aged 16 and over) for language and nudity as well as the final scenes in the film, which were considered too strong and alarming for children. Cuts for an A certificate were offered to the company, but these were refused on the grounds that they would spoil the film and it was therefore passed X.
The restrictive X certificate sparked a number of letters from teachers dismayed that their pupils under the age of 16 and studying the text could not see the film. Local councils in Caernarvon, North Wales and Southend-On-Sea, ultimately decided to over-rule the BBFC X classification in order to hold special screenings of the film for local schoolchildren, while BBFC Secretary John Trevelyan, also advised school teachers who had written to the BBFC, that the film could be shown to under-16s studying the text, if the screenings were supervised.
In 1970 the BBFC introduced the new AA rating, meaning anyone aged 14 or over could see the film. Rights holders of some films classified X, were invited to apply for an AA rating, but the company behind Lord of the Flies declined. Following a letter to the BBFC from an MP, John Trevelyan once again asked whether the company might accept an AA for Lord of the Flies, and this time his request was met and the film was “re-graded” AA.
Lord of the Flies was submitted by a new distributor on video in 1990. The Examiner notes describe the violence as “very muted” and the language at the “bloody level”, both of which could be contained at PG. The Examiner doubts that most 6-9-year-olds would have any interest in the film, but that it should be within the capability of 10 – 12-year-olds. This is in stark contrast to the views of Examiners watching the film in 1964, which likely reflects changes in public acceptability, but also the widespread familiarity of the story as a now-famed text.
However, it was around a similar time that a re-make of the film was also submitted for classification. In 1989 Lord of the Flies, directed by Harry Hook and starring Balthazar Getty, was submitted to the BBFC. The distributor of the film requested a PG certificate, but immediately four uses of strong language in the film made this lower category impossible and pushed the film to a 15 classification. Examiners however did consider whether the film could be contained at the new 12 certificate, introduced for film in 1989.
The Examiner report here details the debate for and against a 12 classification, including whether the known quantity aspect of the text amongst school children of 14 to 16, made the film more acceptable at the 12 rating. Ultimately, Lord of the Flies (1989) was passed 15 for its four uses of strong language and the horror filmic treatment of the already dystopian and dark text.
The test screening suggested by this Examiner report was never fulfilled, chiefly because the UK distributor made it clear they were not willing to consider reducing the film's strong language.
FAQs
What is Lord of the Flies actually about? ›
William Golding's 1954 novel "Lord of the Flies" tells the story of a group of young boys who find themselves alone on a deserted island. They develop rules and a system of organization, but without any adults to serve as a civilizing impulse, the children eventually become violent and brutal.
Why did they ban Lord of the Flies? ›Lord of the Flies by William Golding was challenged in the Waterloo Iowa schools in 1992 because of profanity, lurid passages about sex, and statements defamatory to minorities, God, women, and the disabled.
What is the main message of Lord of the Flies? ›The central concern of Lord of the Flies is the conflict between two competing impulses that exist within all human beings: the instinct to live by rules, act peacefully, follow moral commands, and value the good of the group against the instinct to gratify one's immediate desires, act violently to obtain supremacy ...
Why is Lord of the Flies so popular? ›Lord of the Flies by William Golding has been a staple in high school English classrooms for decades, mainly because of its biting analysis of human nature and the need for society in order to avoid the deadly dangers of chaos.
Why is Lord of the Flies controversial? ›Controversy over Content
Much of the disturbing passages from Lord of the Flies involve graphic images of violence. As the boys stay on the island lengthens, Golding gradually exposes the innate, savage nature of human beings. Thus, Golding has the boys resort to hunting and killing animals.
The spectacles represent the boys' only means of obtaining fire through reflecting the sun's rays, and fire itself is symbolic of survival and rescue. Jack snatches the glasses off Piggy's face to create the fire, despite Piggy's protestations, and his dependence upon them.
Is there anything inappropriate in Lord of the Flies? ›Profanity & Violence
Characters use God's name in vain, and d–n you once or twice. Violence intensifies as the characters become less civilized: First they kill pigs with spears, enjoying the pigs' squealing and blood.
The characters in Lord of the Flies can be interpreted as prototypes of human behaviour, where Ralph represents civilization and leadership, and Jack represents the savagery within the human soul. In a broader sense, we may consider Ralph as representing "good" and Jack as representing "evil".
Why does Jack wear a mask in Lord of the Flies? ›This newly discovered mask allows him to do these strange things in front of other boys without feeling insecure; the mask gives him the power to act without thinking realistically about what he is doing. Once Jack has begun to wear a mask, his personality and actions change harshly.
What are 3 symbols in Lord of the Flies? ›- The Conch Shell. Ralph and Piggy discover the conch shell on the beach at the start of the novel and use it to summon the boys together after the crash separates them. ...
- Piggy's Glasses. ...
- The Signal Fire. ...
- The Beast. ...
- The Lord of the Flies. ...
- Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon, and Roger.
Who kills Piggy? ›
While Piggy admonishes the boys for becoming savages, Roger releases a huge boulder in Piggy's direction, knocking him off the cliff to his death on the rocks below. A large wave quickly carries off his body.
Why is it called Lord of the Flies? ›Let's get the easy part out of the way first: "the Lord of the Flies" is what Simon ends up calling the severed pig's head—presumably because it's covered in flies. So, calling the book Lord of the Flies brings the boys' primitive violence front and center.
What grade level is Lord of the Flies? ›This book's Lexile measure is 770L and is frequently taught in the 9th and 10th grade.
What is the criticism on Lord of the Flies? ›Literary criticism of Lord of the Flies has resulted in it being banned in some schools for being political, as well as being discriminatory. It has been considered racist as English boys mimic the life of Indigenous civilizations. It has also been considered sexist for having no female characters.
Is Lord of the Flies difficult to read? ›“Lord of the Flies is hard, and significantly harder [than The Outsiders], significantly more complex,” said Lemov. “Anyone who has read that book knows how hard it is. It has archaic language, it's full of allusions to different worlds, they use British English.”
What is ironic about Lord of the Flies? ›Dramatic Irony in Lord of the Flies
The irony is that grownups are afraid. They can't discuss and agree on things. That is the reason the boys are trapped on an island. If adults could discuss, there would have been no war, and the boys would be safe at school.
Introduced as a quiet and intense older boy, Roger eventually becomes a sadistic and brutal terrorist over the course of Lord of the Flies . Midway through the book, Roger's cruelty begins to surface in an episode where he terrorizes the littlun Henry by throwing rocks at him.
How does Lord of the Flies end? ›In the final pages of Lord of the Flies , Ralph runs through the jungle fleeing both Jack and his pack of savage boys and the fire Jack set on the mountain. Ralph emerges onto the beach and is discovered by a British Naval officer who has come ashore after seeing the burning island from his ship.
What does the pig head symbolize in Lord of the Flies? ›Here, Golding makes clear that the pig's head, which is also referred to as Lord of the Flies, another name for the Devil, is a symbol of the beast, which represents evil. During his hallucination, Simon understands that the beast is not something that can be killed because it exists inside humans.
What does Jack symbolize in Lord of the Flies? ›Jack, Ralph's antagonist, represents the brilliant world of hunting, tactics, fierce exhilaration, skill and dictator, the authoritarian man-of-power who enters the scene like a sergeant. Jack is the strong-willed, egomaniacal boy, who is the novel's prime representative of the instinct of savagery and violence.
What does Roger symbolize in Lord of the Flies? ›
Roger represents the sadist, the individual who enjoys hurting others. His evil motives are different from Jack's, who pursues leadership and stature and enjoys the thrill of the hunt. Roger just likes to hurt people.
What mental illness does Jack from Lord of the Flies have? ›In reading Lord of the Flies the writer finds out that character named Jack Merridew exhibits symptoms Narcissistic Personality Disorder (also referred to as NPD), some types of self defense mechanism, and violent behavior throughout the story.
What is the trigger warning in Lord of the Flies? ›Trigger & Content Warnings:
Blood & gore depiction. Death of a child. Death of a friend. Plane crash.
In the darkness, Simon crawls into the group and tries to tell them what he has seen but it is too late. The boys have lost all control and thinking he is the Beast, they kill Simon - even Ralph and Piggy are involved. That night, Simon's body is carried out to sea.
Who gets killed in Lord of the Flies? ›In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the character of Simon is also put to death while trying to spread knowledge to the other boys on the island. His death is meaningful because it calls attention to many of the symbolic messages in the book.
Who destroyed the Lord of the Flies? ›Analysis: Chapter 11
As we see in the next chapter, Ralph, the boy most closely associated with civilization and order, destroys the Lord of the Flies, the governing totem of the dark impulses within each individual.
Jack eventually forms a breakaway group of his own and swiftly becomes a violent dictator. By the end of the novel, he is ordering the torture of other boys and even tries to organise the murder of Ralph. Jack is an unlikeable character, motivated by evil and whose bad traits only get worse as the story progresses.
What did Jack do to Piggy in Lord of the Flies? ›When Piggy shrilly complains about the hunters' immaturity, Jack slaps him hard, breaking one of the lenses of his glasses.
What did Jack get cut from Lord of the Flies? ›They cut off the pig's head, and Jack asks Roger to 'sharpen a stick at both ends'. As Jack places the head on a stick he says: 'This head is for the beast. It's a gift'. Simon has secretly watched this, and is haunted by the image.
What is the possible hint telling us about Jack's painted face? ›Answer and Explanation: In Lord of the Flies, Jack paints his face like a mask to act as camouflage so the pigs cannot see him when he is hunting. The mask, however, gives him a new identity and allows him to separate from the rules of society.
What is foreshadowing in Lord of the Flies? ›
The death is foreshadowed in the early pages, when Piggy tells Ralph he has asthma, can't swim, needs his glasses to see, and is sick from the fruit. “Sucks to your ass-mar!” Ralph replies, foreshadowing the boys' lack of concern about Piggy's physical vulnerability.
What is the most significant symbol in Lord of the Flies? ›Ralph and Piggy discover the conch shell on the beach at the start of the novel and use it to summon the boys together after the crash separates them. Used in this capacity, the conch shell becomes a powerful symbol of civilization and order in the novel.
What are the 6 main characters in Lord of the Flies? ›- Ralph: The protagonist and chief. ...
- Jack: The antagonist. ...
- Piggy: Piggy smart, and the boys bully him. ...
- Simon: Simon symbolizes goodness and is an allegory of Christ.
- Roger: Roger is cruel. ...
- Samneric: Sam and Eric are identical twins.
Before arriving, Piggy says his last words: "Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up?" A short time later at the camp, Piggy stays back while Ralph tries to talk sense to Jack but it breaks down and the two boys fight. A boulder is rolled downhill, missing Ralph but hitting Piggy.
What happens to Piggy's body? ›Piggy scolds Jack's group for becoming savages, and while he is speaking, Roger pushes a boulder down the hill. The boulder knocks the conch out of Piggy's hands and knocks him off of the cliff. Piggy lands on rocks below, and the ocean washes his body away.
Who survived Lord of the Flies? ›The only survivors are boys in their middle childhood or preadolescence. A fair-haired boy named Ralph and a fat boy named Piggy find a conch, which Ralph uses as a horn to convene the survivors to one area. Ralph immediately commands authority over the other boys using the conch, and is elected their "chief".
What is Piggy's full name in Lord of the Flies? ›Piggy's real name is never revealed. Instead he is treated as though he is one of the pigs on the island - also like one of them, he is brutally killed. Piggy remains an outsider and a victim throughout the novel, though Ralph does come to respect him.
Is Lord of the Flies in the Bible? ›In the Bible, Beelzebub is another name for the devil and is also translated to "lord of the flies." It was "one of the most loathsome and repulsive of the false gods in the Old Testament" (Carter, 2010, para. 3).
How old is Piggy in Lord of the Flies? ›Piggy. Piggy is a fat, shy twelve-year-old boy who has asthma; he is the only one who knows how to correctly pronounce asthma. The other boys on the island pronounce it as "ass-mar".
Is Lord of the Flies dark? ›Lord of the Flies explores the dark side of humanity, the savagery that underlies even the most civilized human beings. William Golding intended this novel as a tragic parody of children's adventure tales, illustrating humankind's intrinsic evil nature.
Is Lord of the Flies movie appropriate for a 10 year old? ›
Lord of the Flies (1963), directed by Peter Brook, was classified X (suitable only for those aged 16 and over) for language and nudity as well as the final scenes in the film, which were considered too strong and alarming for children.
What is Piggy's flaw in Lord of the Flies? ›He cannot be the leader himself because he lacks leadership qualities and has no rapport with the other boys. Piggy also relies too heavily on the power of social convention. He believes that holding the conch gives him the right to be heard. He believes that upholding social conventions get results.
What is Ralph's flaw in Lord of the Flies? ›While Ralph proves in many ways a thoughtful, charismatic, and effective leader, his leadership is flawed by his indecision and inability to think clearly in crucial moments. Ralph's confusion in decisive moments proves too great a weakness for him to maintain his leadership peacefully.
How long does it take to read Lord of the Flies in one sitting? ›The average reader will spend 3 hours and 12 minutes reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute). How quickly can you read this book?
Is Lord of the Flies worth reading? ›Lord of the Flies is a classic for a reason. It's well worth a read and really quite readable as classics go. If you're looking for an short classic book to get yourself into reading classics then Lord of the Flies is a great book to start with.
What mental illness is in Lord of the Flies? ›In reading Lord of the Flies the writer finds out that character named Jack Merridew exhibits symptoms Narcissistic Personality Disorder (also referred to as NPD), some types of self defense mechanism, and violent behavior throughout the story.
Who is Lord of flies in actually and symbolically? ›The novel gets its title from the Lord of the Flies, which is a severed pig's head mounted on a stick by Jack and his band of hunters. Simon, a shy and quiet boy who is an allegory of Christ, hallucinates that the head is talking to him and taunting him. The Lord of the Flies is a symbol of Beelzebub, or Satan.
What does the ending of Lord of the Flies mean? ›The devastating realization for both Ralph and the reader suggests that despite our best efforts to uphold order and civility, humans are inherently prone to self-destruction. This ending suggests that despite what we want to believe, the line between civilized order and inherent human savagery is blurred.
Who is the monster in LOTF? ›The Beast. The imaginary beast that frightens all the boys represents the primal instinct of savagery that exists within all human beings. The boys are afraid of the beast, but only Simon reaches the realization that they fear the beast because it exists within each of them.
Does Jack go crazy in Lord of the Flies? ›Jack begins to change slowly and develops a crazy and violent side. We see this when his hunting job starts to take over his mind and we are told Jack had a “compulsion to track down and kill things that was swallowing him up”.
What is irony in Lord of the Flies? ›
Dramatic Irony in Lord of the Flies
The irony is that grownups are afraid. They can't discuss and agree on things. That is the reason the boys are trapped on an island. If adults could discuss, there would have been no war, and the boys would be safe at school.
- The Conch Shell. ...
- Piggy's Glasses. ...
- The Signal Fire. ...
- The Beast. ...
- The Lord of the Flies. ...
- Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon, and Roger.
Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy. These lines from the end of Chapter 12 occur near the close of the novel, after the boys encounter the naval officer, who appears as if out of nowhere to save them.
Who is alive at the end of Lord of the Flies? ›The surviving boys are rescued, leaving the death count at two confirmed: Simon and Piggy; however, one of the littluns has not been seen again after the first fire they set, so there is the possibility that the fire killed him.
What does Jack do at the end of Lord of the Flies? ›Jack eventually forms a breakaway group of his own and swiftly becomes a violent dictator. By the end of the novel, he is ordering the torture of other boys and even tries to organise the murder of Ralph.
Who was murdered in Lord of the Flies? ›Analysis: Chapter 9
With the brutal, animalistic murder of Simon, the last vestige of civilized order on the island is stripped away, and brutality and chaos take over.
Again, Piggy interrupts and, holding the conch, attempts a speech as well. While Piggy admonishes the boys for becoming savages, Roger releases a huge boulder in Piggy's direction, knocking him off the cliff to his death on the rocks below.
Who is the most evil character in Lord of the Flies? ›Jack Merridew is the main antagonist in Lord of the Flies. Throughout the novel he stands in Ralph's way as Ralph attempts to create a civilized society on the island.